Kindred spirits
by SkySorrow
Summary: They say that when someone with great inner strength dies in a powerful rage, a curse is made. They also say that when two curses become one and two kindred spirits met, the evil will become phenomenal, and everyone shall know their names...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One – **

**Northern Scotland, Deep woodland – November, 1856**

Darkness. A flash of light. Even the brightness of the forked lightning that struck the sky did not light up the woody ground below.

Shouts and yells of angry mobs follow the women and the children, even a few old men, as they race, terrified up past the blackened trees as fast as their sore, bare and bleeding feet would allow.

A short, scraggy man with salt and pepper grey hair cries out weakly as he is hit in the back by something thrown and falls down onto the leafy floor where he tries desperately to stumble back onto his unsteady feet. A young girl with bedraggled dark hair in a ruined rag that used to be a grey nightgown looks back briefly over her shoulder and recognises old Tom, a kind and gentle man who used to be revered by all locals for his loving and trustful nature, always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed it, but not anymore. Not now.

The girl slows slightly, hesitating about the choice to help him. The decision is soon made for her. The shadow of figures rises up the forest slope and the group rises with the shadows they cast, all clad in dark clothing and heavy boots, all carrying pitchforks and thick tree branches, and the girl is forced to flee as the group finally appear and launch themselves at the exhausted and petrified old man, beating him with their makeshift weapons and surrounding him until he appears to have been swallowed up by the group itself, as one whole, still, breathing mass.

She hears footsteps rush her way as she turns again to run, and something hits the ground softly, upon the place that her feet had been as she leaps away from them and tears off into the surrounding wood. Beyond her, the girl can make out the thin, wispy figures of the people she had fled with. Others from similar backgrounds, all accused the same as she, dragged away and locked up in their sticking pit by those they had once called neighbours.

She picks up her speed and races forward till she is almost few a metres behind the first tiny, filthy figure that run in front of her. She sees little Doris Cane, only a babe of barely four years, turned over by her own parents who suspected her to be of the black magic, to the cruel tortures and tests that had waited her, slip and fall head long over a pile of rotted, fallen leaves that stood nearly half as tall as she, and thrash around wildly in the slippery muck. The girl skids to a stop, knowing all too well that it is dangerous to do so with the monstrous mob so close behind her, but unable to bare abandoning the little child and run on past to her own possible escape willingly, and takes a hold of her tiny little arm, pulling her to her feet.

Together they start too raced forward, but the little girl cries out in pain and fear, her light, feathery hair billowing around her and she comes to a sudden halt as a huge gloved hand latches onto her other shoulder roughly and two young women's decent comes suddenly to a juddering stop.

The small child's high pitched screams ring through the thin, still air and the girl smacks the intruder's large, husky body with all her might, swearing and cursing fiercely, but her tired blows bounce pathetically off of his broad shoulders with little effect.

The man glares at her with devilish eyes and raising a huge, scarred theist, hits her directly in her pale, battered face and sends her sprawling down, her head spinning faster than a floating leaf caught in a violent stream. More figures crowd in around them, alerted by their vast amounts of echoing noise and as the girl lays still, groaning softly on the mud ground, the man hoists the little girl up, over his shoulder, ignoring her weak struggles against him and proceeds to walk back towards the path he had come. As the dancing shadows close in around her, the last thing that the girl remembers as she is kicked roughly onto her side, is the sound of that little babe's shrill, sobbing voice screaming her name as the darkness slowly closes in and all is black…

**England, London centre, The Museum of Natural History – 2****nd**** August, 2035 **

**Kenzi's POV. **

The car horns bleated loudly and the streets bustled with people coming and going here and there to their different destinations under the hot mid-August sunshine. The traffic jammed up further than the human eye could see, stuck in a solid line of furious drivers and pissed off motorcyclists, slowly inching their way forward every half hour or so, the toxic fumes that rose up from the still engines creating a sort of grey mist around the wheels and underneath of the vehicles. Meanwhile as the swarm of people that pushed their way along the street beside the road that were not much better off, a lone leaf fell from a nearby tree that had nearly over grown its surrounding metal cage which almost encased the thick wooden trunk, only centimetres of space between it and the bars.

I felt the solitary little, crisp, green leaf floated down slowly and came to land on my shoulder, causing me to jerk sideways, making my a few strands of my long cooper/red hair drop down from its messy bun as I shoved and fought my way through the buzzing crowds that clustered around me towards the little park that stretched just off to the left of me. I clambered up to till I stood at the top of the stony steps that lead down into the grassy space around the side of the museum of natural history, its grounds dotted with various groups of people, some sitting on the grass with picnics while others stood together in tightly huddled groups reminding me strangely of ants farms, and raised a perfectly manicured hand to my forehead to shield my eyes from the tense light and glanced around.

I spotted the lounging figure sat with its back to the thick bushes that grew on set, a pair of bright pink and neon blue head phones sat proudly over the thin bob of sandy blonde hair, streaked with two matching stripes of pink and blue amongst the fringe, turned all the way up as usual, no doubt and felt a sly smile spread across my bright ruby painted lips. Stepping carefully down the worn grey steps, immaculate heels clacking together, I wound my way confidently across the side of the path, not bothering to try and creep around behind the other woman instead, knowing that she wasn't going to look up. I kept going until I was a couple feet away from the dozing punk, then stop, knelt up on the rough stone she was sat on, leant forward, grabbed the sides of the head phones, pulled them apart and shouted at the top of my voice.

"FASHION POLICE! You're under arrest for wearing trashy clothes in public!" The other girl yelped and leapt up into the air in shock, tripped and landed rather comically flat on her bum on the grass, with her legs kicking wildly up in the air.

"Kenzi!" She bellowed at the me, her face flushed red, more with embarrassment than anger. I couldn't help but burst out laughing as the punk got to her feet, wiping the grass and dirt stains off the back of her torn, baggy jeans.

"You cow!" I was now doubled over with laughter, the brightly coloured head phones still clutched in one hand.

"Sorry Lec." I gasped between fits of giggles. "It was just too much to resist."

The punk snatched her phones free from her and switched them off, glaring at me all the while I just fell back onto the stone seat, laughing helplessly, standing up at one point to wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my posh, red blazer. Nether of us took no notice of the strange stares they were receiving from the people sat or scattered around them. Electra just sighed and shook her head slowly.

"So," I asked once I had recovered enough to speak clearly.

"Where has our one and only original Goth girl crept off to, to go and hex the next local councillor?" The other girl looked sheepish for a moment, hands stuffed into the pockets of her bright yellow tank dress, then offered up a shrug. I got the message. Electra had fallen asleep at some point again and woke up alone.

"I am right here." A voice called out from behind the bushes. They were brushed apart with a quiet rustling sound and a third girl in a long, black top, loose boot-cut jeans and Sky blue high-tops pushed her way out and jumped down to join the other two women.

"Dare I even ask what you were doing back there?" I raised a curious eyebrow, multiple scenarios running through my mind. "Found a caterpillar crawling up Lec's arm after she dozed off waiting for you." She jumped down and landed neatly with a little thump on the grass.

"Knew her first reaction would be to scream blue murder so though I'd better take it off her and put it back in the bushes before she woke up." She dusted her hands off on her dark jeans. "Though by the sounds of things just now, she must have found another one."

I chuckled darkly. "Nope. That one was me. Caught her dozing, couldn't resist it." I ignored the dirty look the punk shot me.

The Goth just nodded slowly. "That would have been my second guess."

A sharp, warm breeze blew through the square making us all flick our hair free from our faces. The Goth's loose, black top flapped out behind her in the wind like a patterned flag of dark blue, black vined roses and even the short sleeves that covered her shoulders twitched.

"Come on." I elbowed her gently in the ribs. "Don't know bout you two, but I could kill for a decent espresso." I turned and stated to lead the way back across towards the stony steps. The other two looked at each other, shrugged and followed suit.

"What took you so long anyway?" The Goth called after her, pulling her long, curly, black hair free from her eyes all the way.

"My tube was late." Came the reply. Electra snorted with laughter as they climbed the steps out of the garden.

"You missed it more like, probably because you were too busy chatting up the cute new ticket holder at Waterloo station!" I opened my pale hazel eyes went round and wide and threw my friend an indignant glare whilst blurting out, "I was not!"

My two companions let out a cheer and high five each other cackling with laughter. "And denial is the clincher", They both burst out together.

I sighed as I fought my way back through the crowded streets. "Well okay, so what if I DID miss the tube and so what if I WAS talking to him at the time, that doesn't mean I was chatting him up, just being friendly. I swear, if there WAS any chatting up going on at the time, then it was all from his side I promise you, I had nothing to do with it, Electra!"

"Uh hu". I felt Electra's eyes to roam up and down my tall, athletic body, from my knee high, red leather, high-heeled boots to my thin, black, fish-net tights, up to my short, fitted, burgundy pencil skirt and skin tight red blouse that stretched rather tightly over my robust (and of course, braless) chest, to my cropped matching burgundy blazer and finally, to my long wild hair that I had scrunched back into a messy bun, my fringe held in place at the top of my head by a dark red hair pin with bits of frilly, black satin and netting sewn onto it around the edges, with slightly heavy but perfectly done make-up.

"And you're completely sure that you've done nothing what so ever to bring on all this unwanted male attention?"

I huffed at her and would have swung round to smack her playfully if we weren't packed so tightly in. The three of us were practically rubbing shoulders with everyone around us. Behind us, the third member of our party just simply giggled.

"Anyway, what _I _would rather know is way Hope was creeping around in bushes like some kind of pervie tree hugger?" I challenged as we trudged up the heaving high-street.

"Oi! Don't say it like that! I wasn't doing anything I wouldn't normally do!" The other girl turned practically spat her answer out in reply, so suddenly that she nearly tripped over when the man pushing past her pulled away from her in surprised.

"Opss, er... sorry!" She muttered to the young mum with the toddler in the green pushchair that she nearly crashed into. We friends just smiled smugly as she rightened herself and staggered forward on unsteady feet.

"So what WERE you doing then?" I asked, tilting my head innocently, a handful of fiery curls dropping loose from my bun with the movement.

"I told you." Hope insisted, stepping quickly until she fell back in step with the us, jostled constantly by the thickening crowd.

"I was just getting rid of the caterpillar that was crawling up Lec's arm." Electra just shook her head, her headphones swinging around her neck and becoming hooked over one shoulder.

"You could have just flicked it off into the bush behind me." She commented, lifting one arm awkwardly to fix her headphones.

"Yeah well I thought I saw a cat or something." The thick stream of people around us started thinning out as we neared the less clustered lanes, but didn't disperse completely.

"Well at least we can breathe now." Electra commented as she collapsed onto a nearby bench.

"I'll get the coffee." I disappeared round the corner, flicking my hair out behind her making more strands fall loose.

I saw Hope gave Electra a nudge with her foot as she plonked herself down next to her. Electra threw some rude comments her way that I missed as I trudged on round the corner to the coffee stall at the bottom of the lane.

I brought the coffee without incident, balancing the three hot cups awkwardly and started to make my way back. I slowed as I approached my friends who were caught up in an argument of some kind. The opportunity to eavesdrop was too great to resist. Maybe I'd hear something that I could use as teasing ammo later.

I slowed my pace even further, dropping into a disused gutter that was shadowed by the tall building beside me and stopped a short distance away for them to listen. I couldn't have found a more perfect spot in the post-modern street. Though not exactly a hiding spot, they would easily be able to see me if they just looked up and stared hard enough but it was good enough for me to be able to see and hear them clearly without sitting right on top of them, and with any luck they'd be too caught up in their own conversation to notice me straight away.

"So what the plan have you got for the week away then?" Electra mumbled through yawns. Hope hooked her foot over her knee and fiddled with her shoelace.

"I was thinking maybe travelling a little bit further than normal this time?" She glanced around sheepishly for a moment but somehow, incredibly failed to notice me hovering nearby.

"How much further?" Electra glanced at her suspiciously. Hope breathed deeply.

"How does Scotland sound?" Her friend's wide green eyes and irrupt splutter was an answer in itself.

I took this opportunity to make my entrance. This defiantly wasn't a conversation I wanted to be left out on if they were discussing our holiday.

"Bloody cold!" Both girls jumped as my voice boomed at them from across the road and Electra nearly fell off the bench onto the grass.

"Please tell me that's not where we're going for our girl's week off." I trotted over to them, swinging my hips widely as I walked, purposely catching the attention of the man cycling down the road behind me, juggling three steaming brown paper cups in my hands in front of me. Hope scowled up at me through her fringe as a strong gust of wind sent her long, raven hair fluttering in all directions.

"I've been talking to a few pen pals out there and there's meant to be this huge, wild pagan/Celtic festival happening out there towards the northern rims. Craft stall's, dances, performers, the works." She propped herself up cautiously.

"I thought it would be fun to try something different for once, instead of just driving down to Brighton and getting pissed like we normally do." She took her cup from me and sipped it carefully, wincing as it burnt her tongue.

"What's wrong with what we normally do?" Electra swung her denim-clad legs lazily over from the corner of the bench.

"When you're pissed, you're pissed, the scenery barely registers anyway. What's the point in driving all the way out there where it's bound to be absolutely freezing to do something we can do nearby where it's warmer?"

Hope rolled her eyes as she took another swig of her drink. "Um maybe cus I was planning on doing just a little bit more than getting completely pissed for once?"

I sighed and threw myself down between the two of them, causing them to shuffle up to the uncomfortable edges. "Well I guess as long as we can still get a good drink there as well then we may as well go. I don't really care that much about anything else, except maybe finding some new hot guys to talk too. There ARE going to be young guys at this thing right, not just the old farts?"

"If my friend is right, some of them will be dancing nearly nude, for a couple of the rituals." I felt myslef light up immediately and Hope bit her lip, as if to keep from laughing.

"Right I am defiantly in! Lec?"

"They have some really cool bands playing, the whole things basically like a hippie musical festival, worshipping Mother Nature through music and all that." Hope put in lightly. The punk just glanced from one to the other in dismay, then slumped back and sighed dramatically.

"Why do I feel like I am going to regret this?" She rubbed her face with the palms off her hands a couple of times then just froze, her hands still covering her eyes.

"Alright then. Why not? Since it's your turn to pick anyway. I mean what's the worst that can happen right?" She groaned as Hope and me cheered and slapped our palms together in delight. Hope pulled out her laptop from her satchel and continued to dribble on about the various events and I could practically hear my friend's thoughts as I watched her knuckle the sleep out of her eyes. _This was gonna be a long week. I_ just smirked at her triumphantly as I sipped my Espresso. _Tough luck Lec. _

The three of us finished our drinks and headed as one towards the nearest underground entrance. We brought our tickets and loaded onto the next tube that pulled up.

I couldn't help the smile that slowly spread across my lips as my friends droned on about this and that, annoying each other constantly with their very different opinion on whatever topic they'd started on. Normally their endless banter would irritate me senseless but today, even though I wasn't actually listening to their conversation, or taking part in it, I felt it fill me with calm a sense of familiar purpose, like everything was finally beginning to fall back into place.

We rode for a few minutes, swaying with the movement of the tube, clinging tightly to the support poles like pole dancers to avoid falling forward into the laps of the people sat down next to them. That soon set me off into a slightly less innocent train of thought.

A particularly hard thump sent us lurching forward and Electra, who had been in deep conversation with Hope about the latest Marvel movie, lost her grip of her rail and fall head long onto the man sat on her right. Her face was scarlet when she shuffled back to her feet and faced us again. She caught my grin and pouted at me sourly. I just carried on smiling and stuck my tongue out at her cheekily. Electra turned her back to me and huffed as Hope carried on chatting obliviously. _Maybe this will be fun after all. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two –**

**England, Bournemouth, Bus Coach and Train Station – 2****nd**** August, 2035**

**Electra's POV.**

The train juddered to a halt causing me to snap awake as I instinctively tightened my grip on the arms of my seat, squeezing until the inside of my knuckles and the fleshy underside of the bottom of my fingers hurt.

The space inside the cramped metal carriage filled with the sounds of feet scrapping carpet and the mumbling of people as they shuffled their way forwards towards the various exits.

God, how I hated trains.

The crampt, air-tight carriage's, the constant shoulder to shoulder rubbing of strangers, the unnatural shuddering of the floors. The journey into work in Brixton was always a waking nightmare. I was extremely grateful I hadn't had to make the return trip alone.

A hand touched my shoulder, interrupting my trail of thought and making me jump. I nearly yelped.

"Jesus Lec, calm down. It's only me." I glanced up to see Kenzi's concerned face looking down at me.

I let out an audible sigh and sank back down into the seat. "Sorry. Dozed off." I offered a sheepish smile but my energy wasn't in it. Apparently it showed.

Kenzi gave me a dubious look but didn't comment. "Well better get moving then. The train terminates here".

I nodded, pulled myself stiffly to my feet, grabbed my bag from the shelf above my head and staggered after her as she led the way between the rows of seats towards the door where Hope was already waiting for us, her and Kenzi's bags at her feet.

we hopped off the train, dragging our luggage and made our way up over the bridge and down, past the ticket booth and out into the car park outside.

"So where are we heading anyway?" I asked through the yawn that was forcing its way out of my mouth.

Hope gave me a sympathetic glance over her shoulder before replying. "I've asked the people we brought the van from to leave just up here opposite the National car rental's set up for us to pick it up".

We crossed the car park in a few dozen strides and stop about a yard off from the rental store. All three of us raised our hands to our foreheads and simultaneously looked left, right, then back again to the store.

"So?" Kenzi's voice boomed across the open space. "Any idea's as to exactly where they parked it?" The silence that followed once an answer in itself.

Hope sighed and flipped open her mobile, slowly turning in an 360* circle, her pale, icy blue eye's eyes scanning the vehicles around them as she did so. "I'll ring them up and find out what's going on."

I watched her flick through her contacts list through sleepy eyes and I could feel myself swaying as I raised myself up on the balls of my feet.

I was so tired. The double shifts I'd been doing at work recently had really started to take their toll. I shivered. I'd been looking forward to this get-away for over a month. For a chance to relax with the girls and catch up on my rest and the opportunity to do something non-work related just because I wanted too.

I was snapped out of my trance by the sound of someone beeping their horn at us and I looked round, catching Kenzi's grin and Hope's relieved smile, to see the huge white caravan driving towards them being pulled by a battered, dull yellow, old fashioned Chevy. Hope waved it down and spoke to the plump, red-faced woman in the purple tank-top who stuck her head out of the side window.

"We thought you weren't coming!" We had to step back as the woman parked in the lot next to us. She swung the door open and squeezed her lumpy body out onto her stumpy legs. The appraising look she gave us didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

"You Hope Temple, Electra Newton and Kenzi Renton?" The southern drawl in her voice pronounced it, "_Ope Temple, Elaytra Newon an Kenze Renon_?" The term's red-neck, hill-billy and yobbo sprang to mind.

"Yes. And your Edna Wells?" I didn't really want to shake the woman's large meaty hand but my upbringing kicked in before I could stop myself. I tried not to cringe as the woman's sweaty palm clasped my own.

The woman nodded slowly in response. "I am." It came out as, "_I yam._" I resisted the urge to wipe my hand on my trousers when the woman released me. "You girl's got the money for this thing?" "_You irl's got da Moaney fur this ing?"_

Hope stepped forward and pulled out and wad of cash from folded up in a little plastic change bag. "Its £1500 right?" She handed Edna the money. She pulled it out and flicked through it suspiciously. "And not a penny less." "_An not a pennie less." _She continued to flick through the wad for another moment or two before she seemed to be satisfied.

She gave us a brisk nod and reached into the side pocket of her huge baggy tan cargo pants and drew out a pair on keys. "Them little small one is for the trunk and the bigger one with the black casing is for the door." "_Them ittle one is fur da trunk an the beggar one with da blake casing is fur da door._

She handed them to Hope then turned and wobbled over to the back of her car and set about unhooking it from the van. Then without a word, she straightened up (as much as her stinted body would allow), loaded her heavy frame into the car and turned the key making the engine come alive and rumble. I tried very hard not to chuckle as I watched the bottom of the car sink another couple of inches lower to the ground when the woman climbed in. We stood and watched in silence as she drove away.

I heard Kenzi whistle and glanced around to see her circling the caravan with slow, exaggerated movements. "Well how bout that then?" Her head turned Hope's way. "She's all ours?"

Hope stepped up to join her and replied with something that I didn't catch. My head was spinning faster and faster and I was almost sure that I could hear some sort of quite pounding inside my ears. I felt my mobile buzz inside my pocket and instinctively fished it out in a flash and flipped it open, hitting the view button hopefully. As usual the disappointment stabbed through me like a knife when it was just the phone company's name that came up in the from box. I continued to stare blankly at the device as bitter past memories swam through my mind.

Despite the fact that my biological family had disowned me nearly five years ago and I had believed myself to have long since buried all emotional attachments with my ex-strangled parents, I couldn't help the deep, desperate longing that sparked within me every time my phone or mobile range with the vaguest of hopes that it might be them. I still had contact with some of my siblings, the older ones who had all left home themselves and were free from our parents influence. I had tried to begin with, to keep in touch with my younger siblings, in secret, but of course my parents had found out in the end and been furious. I knew what it was like to be at the end of that temper, especially my father's and it wasn't pleasant. I hadn't wanted them to get hurt because of my needs so I'd soon ended all contact with them and had spoken to any of them since. I knew it was for the best, but I still couldn't help but long for the odd text every now and then, just to know that their still alright but no. It'd been over four years since I'd last heard from any of them.

"Hey Lec!" Hope's voice broke through my daze and snapped me back to attention. I snapped my phone shut, slid it back into my pocket and glanced back at them. They were both staring at me. "You okay?"

I shook myself. The pain in my head had become excruciating and was increasing by the minute. "Yeah I'm fine, just knackered." I hauled my bag over my shoulder and took the door key from Hope. "You two make up your minds, I'm gonna turn in. Let me know when you've come up with a driving router."

I unlocked the door and pushed into the small space, dumping my bag onto the first flat surface I could find and threw myself down onto the bed at the far end. I was out cold before my head hit the pillow.

**England, Shirley, A34, - 2****nd**** August, 2035 – Midnight**

**Hope's POV**

_The crooked tree's fly past my window as the car drives on down the black motorway. I stare at them blankly as the crackle from the radio turns into an ear-tickling buzzing as dad turns the dial next to the dash board another notch to the right._

"_Will you just leave it alone?" Mum sighs frustrated, flicking her blonde fringe free from her eyes with one hand, keeping the other planted firmly on the wheel._

"_I'm sure it was working a second ago, hang on I'll try another setting." Dad doesn't look up as he adjusts the dial again. Another burst of static answered him, louder this time, making us all cringe. He turns it down again and this time mum's free hand reaches across and slaps his away lightly. Dad pouts and turns away from her while she just rolls her eyes and looks into her wing mirror instead. She catches my gaze in the reflection and smiles warmly at me with her beautiful sky-blue eye's. Dad continues to pout. I bite back a grin._

"_We're nearly there anyway love, just a few more miles." She tells him gently, adding under her breathe, "Wherever THERE is."_

_That surprises me. I assumed my parents knew where we were going when they walked back into our flat from work earlier today and announced we were going away for a little while. That in its own right was a shock. We NEVER go on holiday! Mum and dad's job just doesn't allow it. And FYI their not exactly the most organised of people. MY ROOM is probably the tidiest in the house, excuse the school revision notes adorning all the walls and surfaces. Holidays take ages to plan for properly. Apparently that wasn't going to be a problem. Despite their best efforts to be cheerful and fun I could tell instantly from their half-worried faces and jerky movements that this was defiantly NOT a holiday. I nearly asked them there and then what the hell was going on but something about the way they looked at me and each other made me hold my tongue. So instead I packed my things quietly, climbed into the car with them and we drove off in silence._

_The head lights of the car light up a startled fawn hovering near the side of the road that takes off back into the forest as we drive by. I watch it disappear and stare after it for a few moments before I look back to my parents again and finally summon up the strength from somewhere, after hours of uncomfortable silent driving to ask what I've wanted to, since getting into the car. "So where exactly are we going then?"_

_The words catch in my throat as my parents exchange sharp glances with each other but I spit them out anyway. I waited for my answer. Eventually dad spoke. "You know how we and all our work friends once said we'd all go out somewhere together with our families and do something together?"_

_The Adams apple in his throat was doing over time, bobbing up and down quickly. "Yeah." I comment quietly. "Is THAT where we're going, somewhere to meet them?" Mum answered me this time. "Yes we're heading down to meet up with them in Leeds, then we're going to go somewhere with them."_

_I thought I saw the beginnings of tears form in the corners of her eyes. That really caught me off guard. Mum is the toughest person I know. She's strong, beautiful, and smart. I've lost count of the amount of times I've wished to be more like her. She NEVER cries! Something was seriously wrong and now I was starting to become fearful. I know it was plaintive to ask but I needed to know._

_I opened my mouth to ask again but dad beat me the punch line. "It's going to be alright you know. I know you're nowhere near stupid and you think there's something going on and you're right there is." I didn't miss sharp look mum gave him and silently encouraged him to carry on. He didn't disappoint._

"_We can't tell you yet but I promise you it's gonna be okay." He reached a hand back to ruffle my hair affectionately. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you kiddo." Although I know he meant well, his words didn't exactly fill me with confidence. Instead I couldn't help but start wondering exactly WHAT might possibly happen to me, that their protecting me from. Dad seemed to be oblivious to my worries. "We have something for you."_

_He looked to mum as if for permission for something, to which she gave him when she nodded briskly, then leaned across carefully and unclipped the necklace, an anniversary present from him for her on the year I was born, from around her neck. Next, cradling it in one hand he reached towards his own throat and pulled the worn leather cord containing his father's plain silver wedding band from his neck. I saw him untie the cord and unclipped the thick sliver chain of mum's necklace and slide the ring into it._

_He turned awkwardly in his seat, reached over and re-clipped the chain around my neck, letting the ring and my mother's little sliver flying dragon charm drop down on my chest. I looked at it in the palm of my hand and gently stroked the dragon with my thumb, genuinely speechless, the current situation momentarily forgotten. I knew these things meant a lot to my parents and even though I figured I'd inherit them one day, when I was older and they'd passed on, or perhaps if I ever got married, but the thought that they would trust me with them now at fourteen years of age warmed me deeply. He smiled at me proudly from his seat. I even saw my mother manage a sad smile in the reflection of the car wind mirror. I tried to speak but for once I really was speechless, and that didn't happen very often._

_A sudden, violent thud made me jump in my seat as the car shuddered. A bright light flashed somewhere in front of us and dad was thrown back roughly into his seat as sparks flew and the car's engine creaked and rumbled. I didn't want to scream, I really didn't, I always tried so hard to be touch like mum, but this time I couldn't help the startled screech that sprang from my lips as the car rocked on its frame. The next thing I knew we were spinning, faster and faster in a vicious circle like a spinning top, until finally the vehicle couldn't take it anymore and I briefly glanced a group of black figures stood in front of the flames up ahead of us before we were flipped cruelly onto our backs and then up until my seatbelt cut into my shoulders and it took me a moment to realise I was hanging upside down in my seat._

_I'm not sure how long I hung there, maybe a moment, maybe a minute, before I finally had the sense to hit the eject button on my seat belt as the smell of burning fumes invaded my nose and crept up the back of my throat. I hit the roof/floor hard, landing awkwardly on my side, feeling the grit from floor/ceiling patter down onto my face. Behind me I heard the car groan and felt it sway as dad shuffled around in the tight space and mum struggle to free herself from her own seatbelt. I coughed hoarsely and heard dad do the same as the space inside started to fill with black smoke. I've never been claustrophobic before but I could already feel a panic attack looming at the thought of being trapped in here with these fumes and knew that if I got out of here I would from then on, become so._

"_Is everyone alright, Hope, Abby?" It took me a couple of tries to answer dad's question as my voice came out more like a croak but I finally managed to squeak out a "Yes." I didn't catch mum's reply but I could feel her struggles becoming more and more frantic and the car rocked more and more on its frame._

_Finally I heard her yell, "I'm stuck!" and saw dad's dark outline scoot over to her as I twisted my body awkwardly round to face them. Her feet thumped loudly on the dashboard into her heavy boots as she kicked hard against them trying to lever herself up and out of her seat belt while dad fiddled with the eject button, thumping it with his fist at one point in frustration, anger, and just a little glimmer of fear._

_I wasn't completely sure but I thought I caught the sound of footsteps, boots crunching on gravel walking leisurely towards us. My parent's voice's towards me through the rising walls of smoke. "Hang on love, I'll get you out, I think there's a knife in the dash box."_

_That surprised me even more if it were possible, as my parents have never been violent people, but I did not have very much time to reflect on it before my mother cried out, "Just pass it to me then get her out of here, I'll cut myself loose and follow." I knew my father would be reluctant to leave her but that parental instinct kicked in first and he set about rolling onto his back and used his legs to kick open the door on his side until it budged just enough for him to shimmy his slim body out of it onto the pavement outside._

"_Cover your eyes." I heard his call and managed to lift one arm up and sling it across my face just as his foot broke through the window and glass scattered everywhere on the inside of the up-turned car. I felt the shards scatter against my clothes but did not have the energy to react as the toxic fumes inside the car were making me dizzy and sluggish. I lifted my heavy head and looked at my dad as he crawled in over the broken glass and leant close over me. I saw the fear in his face and felt a couple of finger tips press against the nape of my neck. His relief was visible._

"_Hang on sweetie, I'll get you out, just hold on to me." I felt his hand slide under my back and another hooked under my knees and pull me upwards until I rested in his arms as he fell back onto his hunches. He shuffled out awkwardly and I tried to help as best I could by clinging close to his chest but I felt as though my energy had been drain out of me like bath water down a plug hole. _

_The breeze that ruffled my hair as we pulled out was warmed by the fire that had broken out down the road but to me it felt like the coolest sweetest breeze I've ever felt after been stuck in that clammy car. I felt my dad straighten and stagger a dozen paces or so away from the vehicle before he dropped down to his knees again and began carefully lowering me down onto the pavement. My head touched the road and I managed to force my eyes open just enough to see his faces hovering fuzzily about a foot or so from my own. His black hair fell across his dark eyes as he looked at me gently and I felt his hand brush against my cheek, moving my own hair, ebony like his, away from my face. _

"_I'll be right back honey, I promise. I'm just going to help get your mum out then I'll be right back, just stay here. Don't move." _

_I rolled painfully onto my side and wiped my eyes with my hoodie sleeve as I watched him walk away. My lungs felt as though they were seared from the inside and I had a sudden vision of the black, tobacco stain lungs of smokers and found myself severally hoping there wasn't any permanent damage. Dad was just a few feet away from the battered car when I heard mum scream out his name and a sudden shot rang out as dad tripped and staggered. I could only watch in horror as his shadowy form slumped over and he dropped onto his front. Mum's kicking became so frantic to a point that I could actually hear her feet thumping against the side of the car and finally, she fell free with a thump and managed to crawl out, over the up-turned car seats and through the shattered window that dad had pulled me out of. I suddenly felt my eye lids grown unbearably heavy as they slowly started to close and the last, blurry image I saw was that of my mother skirting around the car and throwing herself over my father's crumpled body as my world went black and somewhere in the mist of everything I was vaguely aware of the sensation of being watched, as though someone else was there behind me, standing over me. The last conscious thought in my mind was that I hoped dad was okay, before I drifted off into sweet oblivion…._

I snapped awake with a start and nearly hit my head on the corner of the cupboard next to the stiff caravan bench, covered by a mattress that had no right to be called a bed. I may have missed the corner of it but instead my forehead hit right home on its smooth, hard side making stars explode behind my eyes. One-handing my head I eased myself slowly upright into a sitting position and forced myself to breathe as the pain and panic gradually passed. Once I was certain I wasn't going to pass out, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked around the gloomy interior of our new home away from homes, wondering what the hell it was that had actually woken me.

"Sorry bout that." Kenzi's called over through the walky-talky that had fallen face down on the table next to Electra who was passed out, legs akimbo, draped over the seat just ahead of me. I could just about make her out sat in the driver's seat of our car through the dark window at the front of the caravan, although she was barely more than the outline of a ghost.

"Nearly dozed off, think we might have to pull over for the night unless you or Ms Grizzly bear there wants to take over." Kenzi's voice continued to crackle through the intercom. "I can hear her snoring from in here and not just through the walky-talky." I flipped back the thin blankets we'd thrown onto the so-called bed and swung my legs over until my feet touched the floor, fumbling for the walky-talky. I grasped it and held it between trembling hands and it took me a couple of tries to hit the talk button with my thumb and hold it down firmly.

"Yeah might be an idea, I mean rather than risk killing us all and throwing us into a burning ditch and all that. I can see what you mean about Lec. Have you ever noticed that she always lies in the strangest positions when she's really out of it? I'd normally go over to the fridge and pull out the can of whipped cream to use on her at this point but I just don't think I have the energy to right now."

I tried to make a joke out it, hoping against hope that my voice didn't come out as shakily on the other end as it sounded to me. My nightmare still had me rather rattled even if it wasn't the first time I've had it, or undoubtedly the last.

Kenzi wasn't buying it. Both fortunately and unfortunately for me, she seems to know better than I know myself.

"You were having the dream again weren't you?" Tact has never been something that Kenzi does well, in fact there's probably nobody on the planet who's more blunt than her.

I stumbled onto unsteady feet, feeling the walls as I went until I could plop myself down on the seat opposite Electra and drummed my fingers on the table. She groaned in front of me and rolled over until her head was resting on the edge of the table, her arms bent behind her and her knees tucked up under her chin. I resisted the urge to tell Kenzi about the thin trail of dribble staining the corner of her mouth and travelling across her cheek, knowing she would only take the piss out of her for days to come. That was my job.

"I may or may not have been reliving certain memories that I do not wish to discuss." I heard Kenzi's sign through the speaker. "But before you ask I'm perfectly fine. Kinda gotten used to it by now, it's always been such a regular thing."

I could tell immediately from the prolonged silence on the other end of the line that Kenzi wasn't anywhere near satisfied with my answer but for the time being at least, she seemed content to let it slide.

"We're just passing through Shirley; we're along the A34, just coming up Stratford road." She answered my question before I even had the chance to ask it. "Hang on, I think there's a park just up here where we might be able to pull into for the night."

She pulled around something outside that I couldn't see, and then stopped. I heard her muttering something under her breathe through the walky-talky that she had clearly forgotten to turn off, then I felt the vehicles do a U-turn and head back around the way we came. More noise cackled through the intercom.

"Nope looks like we can't park in there but I think we literally just passed a huge car park further down the road so looks like we're just gonna have to make do and pull in there. Personally I'm so tired right now, I doubt that I would very much care if we park in a rubbish tip for the night as long as all the windows were rolled up tight!"

We drove on for what felt like little more than a few short moments at the most before I felt us pulling in somewhere again and come to a steady halt, before Kenzi shut the engine off and the car became still. Parking done, I heard her car door slam shut as she hopped out and I raised myself up, off of the seat to meet her at the door. I opened it and caught a glimpse of our surrounding over her broad shoulders as she pushed her way past me into the van.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the other seat." I called back to her as she disappeared into the gloom. An exhausted grunt was my only reply, letting me know that she was far from happy with that situation, especially after my disturbed sleep so far but thankfully too tired to argue with me this time.

I stood in the door way for a little while after I heard her thrown herself down onto the would-be bed, taking in our new surroundings. We were in a spacious car park; I had guessed that much from Kenzi's earlier description, most of its car-sized slots empty apart from us and a battered looking rental on the other side of the lot. There was some sort of building looming up on my right, a little shopping centre perhaps or something along those lines.

My wondering gaze was drawn towards to two figures walking around from the other side of the building towards the other car. A young woman, early twenties maybe or somewhere in the middle, it's hard to tell from the distance, and a little girl, maybe nine or ten years old barely keeping pace beside her. About half way across the car park the woman stopped and pulled mobile phones out of her handbag, flipping it open and gesturing to the girl with her hand to carry on without her. The child simply rolled her eyes like it was normal and carried on until she had reached the car, leaning against it and glaring across at the other woman in frustration. That made me chuckle and it took me a moment to realise the girl was now looking across at me. I gave her a smile but it froze on my face when I saw her.

It happened in a single second, one of those blink and you miss it type moments. A cold gust of wind blew past making the light bulb that was hanging loose from the head of the street lamp sway, casting the little girl in darkness for a moment. Only when the darkness touched her she was not a little girl anymore. Instead a small, short woman stood in her place, very petite and childlike in body but unmistakably an adult none the less, dress in a strange white robe that almost as pale as her unnaturally grey-white skin, splattered with scarlet stains, long pitch-black hair that hung in straight points down the sides of her faces and impossibly black, hungry, soulless eyes stared at me from across the lot. I almost fell forwards off of the step of the van, my hand quickly snatching up to grip the frame being the only thing that saved me from falling flat on my face. In this action I'd lost sight of the frightening woman and when I looked back I was little surprised to see the girl simply standing there, looking my way curiously still. I have never been a fainter but it still took all of the strength I had not to collapse there and then into a heap on the pavement.

The woman across the road finished her phone call and jogged up to meet the girl, waving her hands in the air profusely. The two climbed into the car and pulled out of the car park, driving off somewhere further down the road. I didn't dare turn away until the car was out of sight, then I bolted back into the van, slamming the door shut behind me so hard that it caused the whole vehicle to shudder, making both Electra and Kenzi groan in their sleep and flung myself down onto the seat, pulling my hoodie tight around me, wishing desperately that it was mum's arms until I calmed down enough to sink back into a restless, haunted sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer – I do not own any of the grudge charters, living, dead or otherwise, nor do I own Kayako's curse or any of the places mentioned, but I do own the wandering witches curse and all related verses. **

**Chapter three – **

**Northern Scotland, Braemar, December, 1856**

Darkness had become the main mood inside the stinking, rotting, wooden cart as it rises over broken hills and traitorous mounds. The cart shudders and all those trapped inside are thrown helpless on top of one another once again and they move sluggishly to straighten themselves as their body have since grown so cold that they feel little in the ways of touch and their fiery pains have now dulled to low aches.

The only figures that do not move as the others do are the two small shapes that lie huddled on the dirty floor, one a young woman, barely of marrying age lying on her back, not yet awake, and the other a small child, barely a babe, sat hunched over her, clinging soundlessly, having already shed all her tears.

A groan echoes around the packed space, mixing with the noises of horses outside, and the older girls eyes flicker open, causing a few of the other passengers to glance round but none speak. The child manages to squeak, her voice still horse from her screams. The older girl eases herself up and sits next to the child, smiling weakly. Her heads still hurts more than as if one thousand blows were being rained upon it but she does not dare complain, her focus is on the child, and the child alone.

The little girls face is a bloated mix of pale and red, smudged with dirt, her thin, feathery hair, once a golden yellow and the envy of all other parents is now a tattered brown, wet with muck and other substances, hanging in slimy rat's tail around her tiny shoulders. Her dark frightened eyes look hopefully at the other girl, almost pleadingly.

"I thought you gone from this world. I thought you had left me."

Her weeping somehow started again and the other girl was forced wrap arm thin arms around the miserable little creature as her tiny frames shakes.

"Never little one, never."

She sweeps a lock of the little girls soiled her and tucks it back behind her ear as it falls over her face.

"I will never leave you, never."

The smaller girl sniffs and wipes her nose on the sleeve of her ruined dress.

"I wish to go home, but I know that I cannot. My mother, whose voice was once so soft it could sing me to sleep in no time at all, was so full of poison and hatred as the burly men did take me away. She spoke to me in such an ill-mannered tone, said that I deserved what was coming for what I'd done, that I was no child of hers for committing such a sin as practising black arts. My father did nothing, only held her back and would not even look to me as the carts men drove me away. They say I am a witch that I did bad things but I do not understand the things they say I have done, nor do I remember doing them!"

The little child wailed full tilt now and rocks softly from side to side with the movement of the cart. A loud thump startles every person inside the moving prison as they all take heed of the drivers warning to remain quite. The older girl soothes her hair with her palms and holds her closely as her snuffles die down.

"I do not think that I shall ever see them again and even if I did escape this nightmare they would not welcome me back."

She draws her skimmed, bleeding knees to her chest and hugs them tightly.

"I do not wish to be chased away by them or our neighbours, nor drowned or burnt or whatever awaits us at the end of this ride."

She weeps again at a more silent level.

"Hush little one, they shall not harm you, not while I still have breathe left in my body."

The pain drains out of the little child and her body lies still against the other girl's chest.

"We will walk away from this nightmare with ours heads held high and conscious clear. I will take you to come and live with me should you're real parents still not want you. "

She strokes the little girl's hair calmly.

"They shall not harm you. "

She repeats, almost to herself. The little child looks up at her, hopeful for the first time in days.

"Will you be like a mother to me?"

The older girl pauses momentarily.

"Yes Doris, I believe I will. Sleep now little one, we have a long journey ahead and we shall both need all our strength if we are to make our escape."

"Do you know a lullaby?"

"Only one, my own mother would sing my sister and I as babes, but I cannot remember the words."

"I don't care."

The older girl shuffles slightly as the younger one lies down and then begins to hum quietly as the wooden cart carries on, along the rugged path.

**Scotland, Bankfoot, A9, 4****th**** August, 2035**

**Electra's POV **

"For the thousandth time, OKAY, enough already I heard you the first time, alright!"

EI moaned, smacking my friend playfully on the side of her arm. Hope simply continued to shake her head in dismay.

"But I am telling you I saw something, I am not saying it was real or nothing but it was certainly one hell of a convincing practical joke to play on a stranger! She looked so real!"

I felt my eyes roll all the way back into their sockets.

"Right. Cute little girls and Japanese zombies, and someone STILL says she hasn't been over doing the Play-Station."

Hope sighed dramatically and fell back into her seat.

"Just forget it."

"Hey cheer up, you were probably just tired-"

"Or going crazy!" Kenzi threw in through the walky-talky.

"- we all were. And stop pouting, the wind will change and you'll get stuck like that."

Hope sat back up again and gave me a reproachful look.

"Yes mother, shall I go and brush my teeth now, put on my nightgown and fetch a brush for you to plait my hair?"

Spoken in her best Carry Grant voice, which to be fair, was pretty poor. Kenzi's laughter cackled in through the speaker.

"You'd be better off at getting dressed dearie, we're about to pull in for a bit."

The vehicle juddered to a halt and both of us were thrown from our seats as it stopped. We picked ourselves up, muttering unpleasant comments about our friends driving skills, and grabbed our jackets before clambering out of the van.

"You call that parking!?"

Hope bellowed, marching over to where Kenzi was still sat in the front of her beat up purple Land rover, doing her lipstick in the wing mirror.

I ignored their argument for the minute, taking time instead to study our new surroundings with interest. We were in a barren excuse for a car park that was simply a strip of concrete with a row of cars lined up upon it. Behind me, Hope had finally dragged Kenzi out from the car and the two were bickering heavily.

"So, err, where the hell are we?"

I queried, hoping to snap them out of it. They both paused. Kenzi pulled out a map from her hoodie pocket.

"We're in Scotland" She said, tracing lines with her finger on the map.

"Yes, I gathered that from the rolling hills and open moor-land", I commented.

"And the big sign we passed early this morning saying "welcome to Scotland", Hope threw in.

"Buts exactly where about's?!"

"At the bottom of Bankfoot." Kenzi.

"Helpful." Hope quipped.

"Shut up!" Kenzi. Tense.

"Make me." Hope. Smirking.

"Enough!" I sighed pushing myself between the two as they inched closer and closer towards each other, eyes gleaming.

"We're all tired, stiff and cranky at this point and those "hands gestures" BEDS aren't fit for dogs. Now lets just go stretch our legs and get some caffeine before we all kill each other. PLEASE."

Kenzi huffed at me and Hope rolled her eyes but neither commented. Kenzi pulled out her map again and looked it over.

"If we walk to the end of this street, and follow B867, take the left turning at the top and head down onto Main street, there's an inn. The Bankfoot inn."

"Good name. VERY original." Hope. Again. Close to getting a smack.

"Sounds good to me, anything's better than spending another night in that moving coffin." I tried for optimistic and failed.

"Agreed. Although I STILL personally feel that Kenzi could do with more time in the open air, make her temper a little more passive. OWW!" This time I did give her a light smack to the back of the head.

She rubbed her hand across the back of her head glaring indignantly.

"Knock it off." I told her wearily.

"That's assault!" Hope sulked.

"I say hit er again, with a 2-by-4 and lets us have some peace and quiet." Kenzi sauntered past, calling over her shoulder.

I followed after her, Hope a few steps behind still rubbing.

"We'll see how much the inn charges for a night and decide from there, yeah?" Kenzi asked as we trudged up the narrow dirt lane along side the road. We tuned a corner and continued up. I grunted my consent and Hope nodded then winced at the movement.

White painted houses lined up beside us on our right side and open, yellow field widened on the our left. We got the majority of the way up and passed a break in the line of near identical, beach-like houses, made by a grass roundabout, dotted with a few small, round-cut hedges and bushes. As We passed it, Hope made a move to trip up Kenzi who had now fallen behind her, moving considerably slower in her high, clanky heels, sticking her leg out at a very subtle angle and slowing her pace so Kenzi began to catch up on her. Kenzi saw the moment through the corner of her eye and purposely ignored it until she drew level with Hope, then slammed down roughly on her ankle with her heel, causing Hope to yelp and lose her balance, face planting on the pavement.

"Glad to see you've recovered enough from your fright to start ass-ing around again." She called back as she continued down the road. I bust out laughing , walking backwards for a moment to watch Hope stagger awkwardly back to her feet, brushing dust off her front. She hurried after us as caught up just as we were coming up to the part on the road that bended slightly to the left into Main street.

We made it there and started heading down without further incident. We past the rows of plain, old fashioned houses surrounded by old-style stone brick walls, dotted with tall, full leaved trees. The Inn itself was nothing more special that the houses around it, except being bigger, with groups of round wooden tables shadowed by tall, red and white striped umbrellas positioned outside of it, by the front. Kenzi eye-balled the structure dubiously while I took it in while a pleasant expression and Hope made some kind of medeval reference. We booked in for a for double room and trudged wearily upstairs after retrieving our luggage from the van, practically falling in through the door. I crawled over to one of the room simple white beds and collapsed onto, groaning dramatically. Kenzi heaved her suitcase onto the other while Hope disappeared into the connecting bathroom, leaving her duffel bag into the middle rub covering the main space of the floor. I rolled over and opened one eye as Kenzi sank down onto the bed opposite.

"Well the start of our holiday has certainly been a little rough huh?"

I eased myself into a sitting position before answering.

"Yeah but its not the worst we've ever had."

I glanced at the closed bathroom door as the sound of the shower running flowed through the bottom of the door, then back at Kenzi.

"Now are we gonna talk about the real reason we're here? Or are we just gonna let it be?"

Kenzi sighed and flopped back into the bed where she lay staring up at the celling.

"What's to talk about? We're here for Hope, and that's the end of it."

A autumn coloured butterfly tapped against the glass of the window from outside and for a moment I just watched it, my thoughts inevitability drawn towards Yasmin, our dear departed friend. She would have known how to deal with this.

"Yes but where is it gonna end? We both know that the (hand gestures) "festival" isn't what's really drawing her here."

"We don't know that, it could just be a coincidence. She HAS always been into the whole hippie thing after all, so was Yaz, it was one of the reasons they got on so well."

Kenzi didn't look up. I banged my fists on my legs in frustration.

"This is about her parents and you know it! It has been ever since she found the remains of that damn letter!"

There came a thump and sounds of movement from inside the bathroom. Kenzi lifted a finger and pressed it into her lips without looking away. A moment of awkward silence passed between us. Finally Kenzi spoke again.

"If you were in her shoes, if god forbid you'd ever had a reason to be in her shoes, wouldn't you want answers too?"

I gave it a moments thought. Then,

"Its been 7 years, Kenz, what does she expect to find? It wont find them or bring them back. Does she really need answers that badly for something that cant be changed? Call me old fashion, but some things are just better left forgotten."

The noise of the shower shut of before Kenzi could reply and the sounds of footsteps followed, calling an end to the conversation. Hope emerged wrapped in a towel and paused by the bottom of the beds.

"So what are we doing tonight then?"

Kenzi got up from her bed, pulled a towel and kit from her suitcase and headed for her turn in the bathroom, leaving me to explain.

"We're gonna have dinner downstairs, might as well since we're here, then turn in early. If we leave at first light, we should just make it to the festival ground by night fall."

Hope nodded and set about pulling on a fresh set of clothes. Kenzi came out of the bathroom and I went in for my turn. I showered, came out and pulled on my clean clothes, then we all headed down into the Inn's bar to find something to eat.

We ate, drank, joked and laughed, enjoying the scenery for a little while, the long journey temporarily forgotten. The pub had a very warm, if stony interior and we soon made ourselves quite comfortable, sat at the round, well polished wooden table in the corner, chatting away with the bar maid serving us. It turns out she was a bit of a comic book fan too, much to Kenzi's horror. She deep in discussion with Hope and me, when she was called away to deal with the two new customers who came in.

I twisted round in my seat to get a better look at the two new comers. The young woman, poorly dressed for the countries weather, shivering in a tank-top and jeans with a denim jacket pulled over the top, was clearly used to a warmer climate. I watched the maid struggled with her heavy looking flower-covered suitcase, leading her towards the stairs going up towards the rooms. A little girl stepped close behind them, apparently with far more sense than her travelling companion, dressed in thick, woollen, lilac tights, denim skirt, thick wool jumper and pink, fluffy body warmer. Her own suitcase, a little purple wheelie one, was pulled along behind her with one hand as she watched the woman whip out a cell phone and start talking on in as the maid struggled with her luggage up the first flight of stairs.

"Well hows that for manners?"

I shuffled back round in my seat and flicked my head in their direction. Hope and Kenzi followed my gaze to the newbies.

"How much do you want to bet that their American's?"

Kenzi asked with amusement. Beside her, Hope visibly paled.

"Five quid?" Random answer. "Hope, what about you? You reckon their Yankee's or not? Hope?"

I gave her a nudge with my shoulder.

"Hello? Earth to Hope?"

Kenzi poke her roughly with a finger. She snapped out of her daze with a visible twitch.

"Um yeah, sure whatever. Probably."

She downed the rest of the half drank cinder glass in front of her in one go. Me and Kenzi shared a look but said nothing out loud. To the side of us, the young woman and girl came back down the staircase, closely followed by the maid who was leading them in our direction.

"Don't know about you two but I'm beat. Lets turn in for the night."

Hope made a move to get up from the table, but Kenzi caught her arm and yanked her back down into her seat.

"Don't be ridiculous, its only half six and we haven't had desert yet!"

Hope shifted nervously in her chair as the maid sat the the two new customers at the table opposite us.

"Yeah but its not like you need the extra calories right? Surely extra beauty sleep would be much better for you?"

She had to dodge the smack that came her way.

"Hope Temple, are you calling me fat? Because I'll have you know I'm every bit as fit as you!"

Kenzi was having a complete fit. Hope raised her hands up in defence.

"Yes but we want to keep you that way! Right Lec?"

Her tone was playful, but there was an uneasiness in her eyes that betrayed her as her gaze kept straying to the couple sat over from us. I decided to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.

"Hope, there is nothing wrong with Kenzi's weight, stop making excuses to wind her up. If you're really that tired, go to bed yourself."

_There, that should do not it._ Kenzi smirked at her. The last thing either of us expected Hope to do was to actually take me up on my offer.

"Sure, okay then. I'll see you guys later."

Two sets of jaws dropped as Hope eased herself out of her chair and staggered quickly away towards the stairs.

"But you'll miss dessert? Don't expect us to save any for you!"

Kenzi called after her, astonished.

"That's fine I'm not too hungry anyway."

And with that, she disappeared up the stairs at a rather hurried pace.

"Was it something I said or do we just smell?"

A new voice spoke beside we. We both glanced around at the woman sat at the table next to them. I distinctly recognised the American twang to her voice and made a mental note to collect hand five quid over to my friend later. Score one point for Kenzi.

"Speak for yourself."

The girl muttered indignantly from the other side of her. I smiled politely at them, silently wondering myself what had gotten into our normally placid, if slightly annoying, friend.

"No sorry, I don't think it's you, she's been a bit jumpy all day. Long journey."

"Where you guys coming from?"

The woman asked, moving the cutlery in front on her out of the way so she could lean her elbows onto the table.

"Think London-ish sort of way."

Kenzi told her, smiling at the little girl's antics.

"And yourself?"

The woman beamed, making her suddenly seem very pretty. She had a sort of pear shaped face, green-blue eyes and long hair that was somewhere between a light brown and golden blonde sort of shade and reached just below her shoulders.

" I was raised and lived in Chicago, in America." "WE were, you mean?"

The little girl added in, while studying the menu in front of her.

"REALLY? You don't say!"

Kenzi threw a triumphant look my way. I felt my eyes roll of their own accord. A puzzled look crossed over the young woman's face.

"I'm Rose. This is my sister, Lisa."

The little girl looked at them properly for the first time. She had a very sweet voice, blue-green eyes like her sister, and long, light, mousey brown hair framing a round face. Lisa threw a mock glare her way, but it didn't seem to phase her as she poked her tongue out at her playfully and continued talking without hesitation. I felt a smile steal across my lips she spoke. Rose reminded me of my own younger siblings and I felt a pang of loneliness wash over me. Rose stopped talking and looked at me strangely.

"Is something wrong?"

I shook herself out of her trance.

"No just feeling a little home sick. I have a little sister about your age and you remind me a little of her. Suppose I'm just missing her a little bit is all."

Lisa frowned at her. I felt a sudden rush of warmth for our new friends and soon the conversation was flowing freely between the group again. Lisa was a fashion designer. She and Rose had lived with their brother in their parents apartment block that their brother took over when they died. They moved to the UK after their brother died in an accident in the block that caused them to have to sell the place. They would have been in big trouble if Lisa hadn't suddenly found good paying work over sea's. They had an apartment in Bournemouth but were driving down to a festival in Scotland because Lisa's boss had promised her to one of the clothes stalls designers to help with the designs.

"Hold up."

Kenzi held one hand up comically.

"You mean to say YOUR going to the festival! The one in Braemar?"

Lisa nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, that's the one. I take it you guys are too?"

Kenzi nodded and we filled her in on our side on the story. By the time we had finished talking, eating and exchanging life stories it was almost midnight. Rose was the first to notice.

"Lisa I'm tired. And its nearly midnight. And we have a really long drive tomorrow. We should probably go to bed now."

Lisa's eyes rolled.

"Yes mum!"

The group said their goodbyes and promised to meet up again at the festival, before retiring for the night and trampling upstairs to their separate rooms.

Hope was already asleep when me and Kenzi staggered in. We changed into PJ's and quickly slipped into the bed's, leaving Hope on the sofa in the corner. In wasn't long before the three sets of snores were echoing around the room.

**I know I Haven't updated for ages but in fairness I had gone abroad for a week AND just finished high school but I'm back now with a ton of free time on my hands so hopefully will be updating more often, once a month at the very least. Reviews are always welcome, but please don't be too mean because this is still my first very first story and cus I'm not used to working with a deadline some of it may be a little bit rushed. Sorry this chapter was so boring but I really need to make the connection between mine and The Grudges characters but now that, that's done things can start to get a little bit more interesting next. This has been edited re-posted. Any tips, pointers or ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! SS **


End file.
